Blount, Oregon complete dramatic comeback against Purdue

Sep 14, 2008 - 2:32 AM
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- While Oregon had Jeremiah
Johnson on the field, it was LeGarrette Blount who packed the
most punch.

Blount scored the game-winning touchdown in the second overtime
Saturday, helping the 14th-ranked Ducks erase a three-score
deficit en route to a dramatic 32-26 victory over Purdue.

Chris Harper took over for starting quarterback Justin Roper,
who left in the first OT with an apparent left knee injury, and
led the Ducks (3-0) to the go-ahead score, which completed their
climb out of a 17-point, second-quarter hole.

"No matter the hole we get ourselves in, we can dig ourselves
out of it," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "We are a very
explosive team. Our team really gained confidence from this
game."

Johnson, who suffered a dislocated right shoulder on the second
play of last week's 66-24 win over Utah State, played in this
one but was not as effective as Blount, who had 131 yards on 11
carries and two touchdowns. Johnson gained 96 yards on 17
carries.

Blount plowed in for a 3-yard score to cap a remarkable
turnaround in the second half for the Ducks, who trailed, 20-3,
four seconds into the second quarter on the second TD of the
first half from Boilermakers running back Kory Sheets.

"Nobody put their heads down, we got a little momentum at the
end of the half with the (interception which set up the field
goal)," Ducks kicker Matt Evensen said.

Oregon's comeback almost was for naught as Purdue had a chance
to win it in regulation, but Chris Summers missed a 44-yard
field goal as time expired. The teams traded field goals in the
first OT, with Roper coming out of the game after the Ducks took
a 26-23 lead on a 33-yard boot by Evensen to start the extra
period.

Summers also missed a 47-yard field goal to start the second OT,
allowing Harper - a freshman - to lead Oregon on the
game-clinching drive, which included five running plays. Harper
dodged several tacklers on his second run of the drive to put
the ball on the 3-yard line and set up Blount's powerful plunge.

Jairus Byrd had an 87-yard punt return for a score and Blount
added a 5-yard score to tie the game at 20-20 in the third
quarter for the Ducks, who had outscored their opponents,
110-34, entering Saturday's game.

"Special teams gave us a lot of momentum and really got us
going," Bellotti said. "Byrd's return won the game for us."

Sheets had 177 yards on 29 carries for Purdue (1-1), which saw
its crowd engage in an odd mid-game pep rally led by
Boilermakers legend Bob Griese, who waived the school's flag
from the broadcast booth after Oregon had tied the game.

The Boilermakers, for their part, took some positives out of the
crushing loss.

"It should give us a confidence knowing they have the best
offense in the nation," Purdue linebacker Joe Holland said. "We
did a good job keeping them out of the end zone in the first
half."

"For the life of me, I couldn't understand why people talked
about their speed," Sheets said. "They didn't respect us. I
take that to heart. I'm all about respect. People said we
couldn't play with these guys. They thought they were gonna run
us off the field."